Connect with us
 

Aston Villa

Preview: Aston Villa vs Celtic – H2H, Best XIs, How to Watch & More

Aston Villa host Celtic in their final Champions League opening phase fixture on January 29.

Unai Emery’s troops will be hoping to have sealed an automatic spot in the knockout rounds before welcoming the Scottish champions at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Celtic’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread and anything but a win against Villa could spell trouble for Brendan Rodgers and his troops.

Depending on the outcome of their penultimate fixture, this game could be make or break for both sides so it’s bound to deliver a pulsating, end-to-end encounter.

Those who don’t want to miss out can cop their Aston Villa vs Celtic tickets from Seatsnet.com

Match Preview

Villa have been in sensational form in the Champions League this season. After six games, Emery’s side are flying high in Europe’s premier club competition, picking up 13 points.

If they don’t keep up their momentum, it wouldn’t be enough to seal an automatic spot in the knockout rounds but they’re in a great position to further their Champions League ambitions.

At the time of writing, Villa have lost just one of their six Champions League games (W4, L1) – a shocking defeat that came at the hands of Belgian outfit Club Brugge.

They then showed incredible resilience to hold continental giants Juventus to a goalless draw before outwitting Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig to claim a 3-2 win in Germany.

Villa already have one foot in the knockout rounds but it remains to be seen if they’d claim an automatic spot or settle for going through the play-offs.

They’d be hoping to have gotten the job done before hosting Celtic, whose Champions League aspirations are hanging on a knife edge.

Unlike their upcoming opponents who are 5th on the table at the moment, the Hoops are languishing in 21st place, merely one point away from elimination.

Rodgers will be keen to steer his side over the line after collecting just nine points from six games (W2, D3, L1) and one more win might be enough to get them a spot in the play-offs.

If they don’t seal the deal in their penultimate game, the final fixture against Villa will feel very much like a final for the Scottish powerhouse.

Head to head

Unlike Celtic, Villa haven’t been regulars in the Champions League so it’s no surprise that both sides have never met in this competition.

In fact, the Villans haven’t competed in Europe’s premier club tournament since it rebranded from European Cup to Champions League in 1991/92.

They last played in the European Cup over four decades ago in 1982/83 having won the competition the season before.

Despite their inexperience, Emery’s side are flying high in the competition this season while their more experienced competitors are struggling to nail down a spot in the play-offs.

With both sides meeting for the first time ever, Villa will head into the game as favourites although they’d be silly to underestimate their opponents.

Best XIs

Aston Villa

Emiliano Martinez is Villa’s undisputed number one goalkeeper and it would take an injury to get him off the starting line-up so he should take his place between the sticks against the Hoops.

The World Cup winner will be the last line of defence behind a backline of Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, and Matty Cash. 

Defensive stalwart Tyrone Mings has returned from a lengthy lay-off and Emery has done his best to integrate him into the squad gradually.

However, unless Torres is still injured when Celtic visit Birmingham, he should start the game on the bench, alongside Diego Carlos who has been linked with a January exit from Villa Park.

Further up the pitch in midfield, Emery has tinkered with his set-up a few times but Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara should anchor the midfield.

John McGinn is injured but should take his place on the left flank if he returns in time for the game. 

In the Scottish international’s absence, Jacob Ramsey will start alongside Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers who has been excellent for Emery’s side this season.

The headache for Emery would be deciding who leads the line. Jhon Duran is Villa’s top goalscorer in the Champions League but Ollie Watkins is the first choice striker.

Given Watkins’ stuttering form, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Emery hand Duran a place in the XI.

(4-2-3-1): Martinez; Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash; Onana, Kamara; Ramsey, Tielemans, Rogers; Duran.

Celtic

Unlike their Champions League opponents, Celtic need a win to solidify their hopes of clinching a spot in the play-offs, so we can expect Rodgers to throw everything in his arsenal at Villa.

Kasper Schmeichel has been in exceptional form for the Hoops across all competitions this season and should take his place as the last line of defence when he returns to England.

Alex Valle and Greg Taylor both have an assist to their name in the Champions League. 

However, the former should get the nod, lining up alongside Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Alistair Johnston in defence.

Callum McGregor has done a decent job anchoring the midfield this season.

He should continue in that role although he’d get some support from Reo Hatate and Arne Engels even though both would have the license to push higher up the pitch.

Yang Hyun-Jun and Kyogo Furuhashi will be looking to cause Villa plenty of problems on either flanks while Adam Idah leads the line.

Rodgers has found a way to blend Idah and Furuhashi in his starting line-up and will be banking on both to fire Celtic to an unlikely victory against Villa to salvage their Champions League ambitions.

(4-1-4-1): Schmeichel; Valle, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Johnston; McGregor; Hyun-Jun, Hatate, Engels, Furuhashi; Idah.

Ticket Info

Fans can cheer their favourites live by purchasing tickets from the official channels. 

Those looking to book a spot in the stands at a subsidised rate should look no further than Seatsnet.com, which remains the best ticket marketplace for every Champions League fixture.

How to Watch

Live Champions League football is on TV in the UK via TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video have the first pick of matches on Tuesday evenings. 

TNT Sports has the right to show every other game from the 2024/25 Champions League, including the 2025 UEFA Champions League final.

More in Aston Villa